Greetings!
This is the first e-news being edited by Sandhya and Quan. As a reminder, ARTICLES MUST BE RECEIVED BY MONDAY AT 5:00 PM. Please send your articles to: enews@ccncn.org (not to Sandhya or Quan directly) If you send an attached flyer and wish an e-news article about that flyer, you MUST also send a written e-news article. Thank you for your patience during this transition! (Sandhya's devotional this week touches briefly on this transition.)
Regional Minister Rev. Ben Bohren is now retired and no longer uses the email address ben@ccncn.org. Should you need assistance with Regional business please contact Paula at paula@ccncn.org or Quan at quan@ccncn.org. Please remember Ben's covenant of closure asks him to limit contact with the region during the transition time and the first year of the new Regional Minister, so please limit personal contact. However, if you are a church sending Ben your newsletter via email please be sure to change his email address to bohrenfree@gmail.com and add paula@ccncn.org if she's not already on your e-newsletter list.
If you missed the e-card that outlined the plans for the two months of November and December and who will be doing what and when prior to the arrival of the Transitional Interim Regional Minister on January 1, 2013, go to: www.ccncn.org for details. |
 NOTE: Fall Fest Registrations are low...Carl NEEDS to hear from you about youth from your church who are attending.
Begins Saturday, November 10, 1:00 p.m. and ends Sunday, November 11 after worship (about noon)
Where: Christian Church of Woodland
Cost: $30.00 PLUS three cans of food
This is an overnight event so registration and medical forms must be completed.
For all information and forms go to: http://www.ccncn.org/fallfestregpkt-2012pdf.pdf
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 HOT NEWS CHURCHES TO HOLD IN PRAYER
Congregation to pray for this week: Mills Grove Christian Church; East Bay Area; Pastor, Clarence Johnson.
Congregation to pray for next week: Christian Church of Pacific Grove; Golden Gate to Pebble Beach Area; Pastor Dan Paul.
We will feature two congregations in each edition of the eNews. Please pray for their vitality, spiritual and numerical growth, their commitment to serving their neighborhood and their openness to the Spirit of God calling them into ministry in the 21st century.
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 Your church can make a big difference in the lives of youth and young adults and aspiring pastors this Thanksgiving!
"I think more than anything, what was great about going to a disciples school was that as I transitioned into adulthood and learned about the reality of the world (which can be depressing) I was able to do it with my family around me (my church family) and those that I transitioned with will always be in my life."
--Tiffany Crain, member, First Christian Church of Oakland, Chapman University Alum
You should have received your Thanksgiving offering materials by now. It would be easy to ignore them.
Don't.
Most of the pastors in this region benefited from Disciples higher education support. Many of our youth go on to excellent Disciples colleges like Chapman and TCU.
Your church's participation in the Thanksgiving offering allows the Disciples of Christ to continue a legacy of excellent education with the support of a loving Christian community.
For more information, visit: http://www.disciplesmissionfund.org/SpecialDayOfferings/ThanksgivingSpecialDayOffering/tabid/481/Default.aspx
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Youth and adults--Join Regional Youth Council!
Be inspired and be an inspiration! Applications are being accepted for the Regional Youth Council 2013, both youth and adults. The application and recommendation forms are due no later than February 1st. All forms must be complete and into the regional office no later than Feb 1 or they will not be accepted. Because of the early Annual Gathering, applications are due earlier this year. Also, applicants will need to attend the Annual Gathering at least on March 2 if not the whole weekend. Applicants will be informed by phone after Feb Camp. The application can be found at http://ccncn.org/RYC-Application-2013.pdf and guidelines can be found at http://ccncn.org/ryc-guidelines-2013.pdf . Good Luck and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me: cccrafting@comcast.net. It should be a great year. -Carl Cordes .............................................
ANNOUNCING 2013 SUMMER CAMP DATES (Note that neither Grandparents and Me Session is over July 4! Community of the Great Commission Camps June 6-9- Adult Camp
June 23-29- Junior and ChiRho Camps
June 29-July 1- Grandparents and Me Session 1
June 30- July 6- CYF Camp
July 1-3- Grandparents and Me Session II June 23-28- South San Joaquin at Camp Pacifica ............................................................... UPCOMING REGIONAL EVENTS
1. Ministry with the Differently Abled:
An Invitation to Beloved Community
19 percent of the population of the United States has a
disability, is this reflected in our congregations? Why not?
Come join us for a conversation about our call as Christian community to be in ministry with people with disabilities as well as practical discussion on accessibility and worship.
When: Saturday, November 10
Time: Noon to 3:00 pm.
Lunch of soup and a salad will be served.
Where: Forest Hill Christian Church
250 Laguna Honda Blvd. San Francisco
Phone: (415) 566-1414
Cost: $10 suggested donation, but all are welcome
regardless of ability to pay. 2. CHAM invites you to participate in a free Downtown San Jose Health Fair on Friday, November 16. It will be held at St. Joseph Cathedral, 80 S. Market Street, in downtown San Jose from 9 am to 1 pm. The health fair will feature free health screenings including blood pressure, glucose, foot care, BMI, and flu shots, and more. The health fair is sponsored by Low-Income Self-Help Center, CHAM Deliverance Ministry,Gardner Health Care for the Homeless, St. Joseph Cathedral, and County Supervisor Dave Cortese. For more information, contact Lara MCabe at 408-299-5030 or lara.mccabe@bos.sccgov.org ....................................................... REGIONAL YOUNG ADULT CHRISTMAS EVENT IN SAN FRANCISCO! SAVE THE DATES NOW! The Young Adult Council invites you to a Christmas Event, December 29th and 30th in San Francisco! All young adults in our region ages 18 to 30-ish (post-high school) are invited! We'll gather at noon for lunch at Forest Hill Christian Church on Saturday, December 29th, have lots of fun, stay overnight and worship with our host church on Sunday morning. There is a cost of $10 that covers the whole weekend, mostly to help cover BART costs for the scavenger hunt and Christmas light viewing. (Note: Forest Hill CC does have showers!)
Check out the CCNC-N website and our FB page (facebook.com/groups/30684014515/) for more details in the coming days. Online registration will be available soon.
-Michael Carlson, Young Adult Ministries .................................................................. ATTENTION ALL CLERGY Clergy Continuing Education Grant Application Process Due to DHM being in the process of migrating our website to a new provider, the Clergy Continuing Education Grant application process dates have changed. The application process will be open from December 1, 2012 - January 31, 2013 -- to receive requests from Disciples clergy seeking continuing education funds for programs/event/activities in 2013. Any Commissioned and Ordained Disciples Clergy with Standing may apply. The maximum possible award for any individual clergy will be no more than $500. Unfortunately, due to the economic downturn, block grants to regions or other Disciples groups will not be considered into the foreseeable future. Availability of individual grants will be dependent upon total number of applicants. Applications received during the Dec./Jan. application process, will be evaluated and considered during the month of February, 2013; final decisions regarding approved awards will be announced by Mid-March 2013, at the latest. No other applications will be accepted for 2013 outside of the process described above. Please send your application beginning December 1, 2012! (link "application" to www.discipleshomemissions.org/pages/CV-ContEd Back to top |
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REGIONAL STAFF NEWS
Paula is back in the office after spending time with her mother in Colorado as her mother was released from hospital after a major fall. Continue to keep her family in prayer.
And please keep Paula's husband, Micheal in your prayers, upon the death of his 87 year old mother in San Diego. No services are planned.
Bill Garrett left town with his wife on Tuesday to go to his daughter's wedding (!!!). They will return Sunday. In the mean time, you are still welcome to give generously to the region.
From Cliff: Please continue to keep our grandson, LaFrance Cole, in your prayers as he has been deployed to Afghanistan in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) Clearance Unit).
Make sure to welcome the region's newest staff member, Laura Pierson, who is serving for the next year as coordinator of the ACTS program (Academy of Christian Training and Study). Welcome, Laura! The region is grateful to have you!
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DEVOTIONAL
By Sandhya Jha
 The book of Ecclesiastes is known in Hebrew as Qoholeth-"the one who gathers." (Sometimes translated as "the preacher.") That's where the English name comes from-Ekklesia is the Greek for gathering.
It may not surprise you that as I take on my first week as editor (with fearless co-editor Quan) of the regional e-news that was birthed by Ben, I find myself turning to Ecclesiastes-particularly Ecclesiastes 3. That's partly because I think of Ben as something of a Gatherer, and partly because I find myself thinking a lot about changing seasons. (Obviously I have a fondness for the Byrds' rendition of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHvf20Y6eoM although for the classical fans among you, please take the time to listen to and be heartened by John Rutter's interpretation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Rh44ghQR3Y.)
We're in a season of transition in the region. I moved to California seven years ago just to get to work with Ben, and I already miss him. I know I'm not the only one. And so I find myself turning to the book of the Gatherer for comfort and encouragement.And the words that resonated in the 3rd century BC resonate today, found here in the Message interpretation:
There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:
A right time for birth and another for death,
A right time to plant and another to reap,
A right time to kill and another to heal,
A right time to destroy and another to construct,
A right time to cry and another to laugh,
A right time to lament and another to cheer,
A right time to make love and another to abstain,
A right time to embrace and another to part,
A right time to search and another to count your losses,
A right time to hold on and another to let go,
A right time to rip out and another to mend,
A right time to shut up and another to speak up,
A right time to love and another to hate,
A right time to wage war and another to make peace.
It's a bumpy season right now, a season of figuring out, a season of stripping away and building up, a season of regrouping and reflecting. And while I came here to work with Ben, I got the privilege of working with the rest of the staff and with more staff over the years, and I got to work with tireless leaders of transformation, reconciliation and missional ministry scattered all over this region, including you. We've been through many seasons together, and they have all been the right season.
So as we move into this season, I hope we'll all engage in both November's seasonal practice of Thanksgiving and Advent's seasonal practice of Anticipation, recognizing that what happens now and what happens in the new year are all parts of God's seasons. I invite you to join with me in praying for our Transitional Regional Minister Search Committee as they discern with and for us who will carry us through our next season together. And I invite you to share with me in the confidence of knowing that we enter into this time knowing that all of God's seasons are seasons of Love. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6yPSeDlcrI).
With gratitude,
Sandhya Jha
Missional and Reconciliation Minister for the CCNC-N
and Temporary E-news editor
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UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS
 Per requests around the region,
here is a listing of regional meetings
and events over the next 30 days or so.
We do not put the dates of local church events here as we never could get them all and we would always miss some!
NOVEMBER
10- CGC Facilities Committee
10-11 - Fall Fest- CC of Woodland
Sundays 11, 18, 25- Thanksgiving Offering
DECEMBER
3- Recognition and Standing- 9:30-12:00 RO
29-30- Young Adult Winter Event- Forest Hill CC-SF
Sundays, 16, 23, 30- Christmas Offering
JANUARY
7- Deadline for all 2012 Disciples Mission Fund Offering (Checks must be in the office by Monday, January 7)
12- Martin Luther King event and worship (Yes! On a Saturday! 1-5 PM, with an inspiring and useful training, fellowship and powerful worship, all in the Bay Area)
2013
March 1-3 - Annual Gathering at the Sofitel Hotel in Redwood City
October 18-20 - Men's Retreat
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CELEBRATIONS & PRAYERS
CELEBRATIONS [note: Because Bill Garrett is at his daughter's wedding this week, the numbers below are from last week--please keep supporting the camp scholarship and phon-a-thon, and watch the numbers spike next week!]
The Ben Bohren Camp Scholarship Fund has now reached $14,068 Your gifts continue to be welcomed so that more and more children and youth may attend camp.
Latest update on the 2012 Phon-A-Thon with a goal of $25,000 is:
- actual received: $23,655
- total pledged/received: $28,405
- still needing: $4,750 IF YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE PERSONS WHO MADE A PLEDGE BUT HAVE NOT SEND YOUR PAYMENT IN, PLEASE HELP US COMPLETE THIS PROJECT!
New members at reported: FCC Sacramento (1 adult transfer)
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Prayers are requested for Russell Martin and the Martin family in Washington, Oregon and California as Russell begins hospice care for a very recent diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Russell is the nephew of Disciples ministers Reverend Ellis Martin in California and Reverend Edward Martin of Washington. Russell is only 56 years old and the family is struggling to be supportive of Russell and his immediate family.
Our prayers are with Pastor Christine Tomascheski, FCC Eureka, who sent this news: "My mother, Darlene Pellegrini had been ill with various health issues over the past several years. Her passing was unexpected. She went to bed Thursday and died during the night. She was 72 and married to my father Milt for 55 years." Christine's mother requested no service but Christine and John and family will gather for a day of remembrance.
Our prayers are also with Pastor Fred, FCC Alameda, and Janice Williams on the sudden death of his sister Brenda, who just recently moved to San Leandro to be near family. She went to bed on Friday evening and did not wake up on Saturday morning. Service plans are pending. The Williams have many family members spread across numerous Disciples churches in our Region.
We are saddened to hear the news of the death of retired Disciples minister, Paul Redmond last Tuesday. Paul was 88 years old and he and his wife Mary had been living in Oakhurst for sometime and were members of the Oakhurst United Methodist Church. Services will be held at 2:00 pm this Friday, November 2 in Oakhurst.
Prayers for the Firch pastoral family, FCC Sacramento, who have been hit with several challenges. Vickie's father had a stroke and is recovering at home in Selma. Daughter Bethany's boyfriend's mother recently lost everything in a fire that destroyed her home, her car and their dog died in the fire.
Do keep Bill Shive, musician for FCC Oakland and leader at Tapestry Ministries, Berkeley, in prayer as he continues to recover at home from his mild heart attack a few weeks ago. Cards can be sent to: 7856 Ney Avenue, Oakland, 94605
Prayers continue for Kathy Smith who served FCC Sacramento in numerous ministry positions over many years and is battling colon cancer. Her spirits and faith are still strong but there are tough days ahead. Cards can be sent to: 2809 14th Street, Sacramento, 95818
Our prayers continue for Alma Hernandez, wife of Pastor Kilo Hernandez, Iglesia del Pueblo de Porterville (Disciples of Christ) meeting at FCC Porterville. Alma has been suffering for some time from extreme fatigue, partial paralysis on right side, and fainting spells. The doctors have not been able to find the exact cause and this is very discouraging and depressing for all the family. Please send cards to : Alma Hernandez 1020 North Prospect Street, Porterville, 93257
Our prayers for Bruce Kieft, who has recently been diagnosed with stomach cancer and underwent major surgery. He is home and in the midst of chemo treatments. Bruce is the Moderator of FCC Fremont and Chair of the Construction Committee with Niles Discovery Church (Niles Discovery is the merger of FCC Fremont and Niles UCC). He also chairs the Serra Center Board as one of the five Disciples serving in leadership for that ministry and was able to lead the meeting this past Tuesday night! Hallelujah! . Cards can be sent to:41204 Thurston Street, Fremont, 94538
Continuing prayers for Rev. Kay McFarland, retired Disciples minister, is recovering from double knee surgery, at the Retirement Celebration as well. Kay has also been suffering with Shingles since March of this year. Your prayers are much appreciated. Cards can be sent to: 2091 Strobridge Ave., Castro Valley, CA 94546.
Our prayers continue for John Grose, key leader and former Moderator at FCC Vallejo as he continues in a five month round of chemotherapy. We send out prayers for healing and strength to John and wife Beth.
Latest update on Pastor Taulau Tupua, Via Dolorosa Samoan Congregational CC of Modesto who is only three treatments away from his final chemotherapy before his hopeful bone marrow transplant at Stanford Medical Center. Fortunately, his older sister is a perfect match! Your prayers are deeply appreciated. Cards can be sent to: 2329 Senimi Circle, Ceres, 95307.
We continue to keep Pastor Mark Foglio, Oakdale CC in our prayers. Mark is about to get the second series of deep injections to address herniated disks in his back and neck. Cards of support can be sent to: Oakdale CC, 330 Maxwell Avenue, Oakdale 95361.
Sorry to hear the report that Barbara Wikoff, musician at Oakdale CC, and husband Bob, Chair of our Regional Resources Committee has pent several days in the hospital last week in order to address flu like symptoms. She still needs some major chemotherapy and she is beginning several rounds of 5 days a week, then two weeks off! She and Bob deeply appreciate all the prayers and ask that you keep them coming. Cards can be sent to: 941 Terrace Court, Oakdale, 95361.
Our prayers continue for the following who remain in need of our support and concern:
- Bea Tiffee, FCC Dos Palos
- Lt. MaShon Wilson, serving in Afghanistan, son of Gloria Wilson, Associate Pastor, FCC Alameda.
- Wanda, daughter of Gloria Baxter of Raynor Park CC
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